A Second Chance
by Puppets Blizzt
Summary: Sequel to The Unknown. One-shot. Lorelai leaves the hospital after her fight with Christopher and finds Luke.


This is a sequel to **The Unknown**. I strongly recommend you read it first, but if you do not want to put yourself through three chapters of Christopher Hayden's POV, here's the basic rundown: He dated Anna, found out Luke was April's father, sent April to him, subsequently broke up Luke and Lorelai, talked with Sherry and arranged a wedding in Paris (which would appear to be 'spontaneous' to Lorelai). Basically he's just a conniving man in that story. Then he shows up in I'd Rather be in Philadelphia and he accidentally lets it slip that he sent April to Luke. Lorelai gets mad and walks away. Emily tells him to leave. It left off with Chris leaving and Lorelai and Rory down the hall in a fit.

Lorelai also explains this in the fic, but I think I did a slightly better job just now than when she explained it. XD

Anyway. This is a one-shot, strictly, unless I want to bring Christopher back for a little drama. Right now, though, one-shot.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Gilmore Girls or the characters. Meh.

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><p>"Lorelai, are you going to explain this to me?" Emily demanded.<p>

"I don't know what happened, Mom! I don't know what goes through his brain!" Lorelai said, shaking her head. "Gah, this is _unbelievable_! Why would he do that?" She broke down, sobbing uncontrollably into her daughter's shoulder. She had a lot of frustration during the time that April was in her life, and it was all, ultimately, because of _Christopher_. The more she thought about it, the more she hated him. And the more she hated him, the more she didn't want to hate him. It was a vicious circle.

"I assume he did it because he loves you, though I'm a little concerned as to the way he expresses his feelings," Emily responded.

"I know that, Mom. But I just don't get why he had to…"

"He had to because he thought he was going to lose you. Lorelai, Christopher is a vulnerable, weak, young man who thinks that the only way you are going to be happy is if you are with him. And he will do anything to make that happen. I learned that early on, when I… broke you two up the first time," Emily admitted. "I know now what a mistake that was, but Christopher never learned from that."

Lorelai nodded. "What do I do? Do I go find Luke?" She never thought she'd see the day where she asked her mother for advice, but here she stood, crying, doing that very thing. Even Logan seemed surprised.

Emily softened. Her daughter was confused. Christopher's betrayal – if you could call it that – had taken her by surprise. No one could have suspected him of something so grand. And now, her daughter was asking her for advice. She had only dreamed of this moment.

"You do whatever you think you should do, Lorelai," Emily replied. "From the moment I saw Luke at Rory's party, I knew he loved you. But for years, he made no appearance. He starred in your stories of your charming Stars Hollow life, but never anything more. He allowed you to do as you pleased and he attempted to live life without you. Then he won you over. I have never seen a man more in love than he, aside from your father. The way he looks at you is like all his dreams have materialized into one human being. If he still loves you, as I believe him to, then he will wait as long as you do. I made a mistake in Christopher, Lorelai. I can see that now. Whatever you choose to do, I support fully."

Lorelai met her mother's gaze, confused and touched all at once. Were they actually bonding? They were. They were actually sharing in a mother-daughter moment. Lorelai had asked for advice, and Emily had given it – and more. Surprised and overcome by a wave of emotions, Lorelai hugged her mother. Stunned with her actions, she turned and walked away. She left a stunned Emily in her wake.

Rory hurried after her. "Are you okay? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find Luke." There was a determined look on her face. She wasn't going to be stopped.

Rory nodded and slowed, watching as her mother walked down the hall and out of sight. She sighed. Logan reached her side and draped an arm across her shoulders.

"She'll be fine, Ace. She's strong."

"Yeah… But she's never had to deal with something like this. If it weren't for Dad, Luke and Mom would have been married by now. That was a big blow for her. She's not going to forgive him… _ever_. I just hope she can find a way to fix things with Luke. I don't know _what _she's going to say…" Rory rambled.

"She'll be fine. Come on. Let's go check on Richard," Logan steered her away, turning her back towards Richard's room.

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><p>Lorelai hurried out of the hospital and climbed into her Jeep Wrangler. She placed her hands on the wheel, heaving a great sigh of stress. This had turned out to be a very eventful afternoon. She didn't think anything would be able to top her father's condition. But then something had.<p>

It was unbelievable when she thought about it. Everything that had happened since April's arrival had not been her fault – had not been Luke's fault! It had been _his _fault. Completely and utterly his fault._ He_ sent her to Luke. _He _forced them apart. And he tricked her. As much as she hated to admit it – and she hated to a lot – Christopher Hayden had one-upped her. He had tricked her into thinking that this whole ordeal was Luke's fault. But it wasn't!

She didn't want to believe that he would do something so… dirty. She didn't want to believe that Chris had been so selfish as to cause her break up with the only man she had ever truly loved. But somehow, she knew it was true (and not just because he had admitted it). The harder she thought, the more obvious it was. How April had somehow known exactly where Luke was even though Anna had not helped her at all, how suddenly she was able to marry in another country so easily… She cursed herself for not seeing it all sooner.

She had been an idiot.

But she was going to change all of that.

She started the car and drove away from the hospital with only one thought in her mind; only one destination. Luke's diner.

She parked outside of the diner and stared inside. It was getting late, the sun beginning its descent below the horizon. A few customers still lingered inside, idly sipping their coffee. Lorelai waited, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. She didn't want this conversation to be overheard by the town – it would spread like wildfire. The last thing she needed was to hear Christopher's name all over town. Again.

Minutes passed. Half an hour. Forty-five minutes. Customers were still seated inside. Lorelai was growing impatient. She heaved a sigh and stepped out of her car. It couldn't hurt to just… chat with him. Get some coffee. Kill time until everyone else had left.

She marched up the steps and walked into the diner, throwing herself into one of the seats at an empty table. Luke noticed her arrival immediately.

"How's your father?" he asked worriedly.

"He's fine," she assured with a smile, "getting better. They'll keep him overnight to check his health and hopefully he'll be home later tomorrow."

"Good," Luke nodded, "good."

"Yeah, good," Lorelai agreed awkwardly. Luke hurried around the counter to take dirty plates, rushing around in a haste to close up. He couldn't remember the last time he had stayed open this late for anyone but the Gilmores.

"So uh, listen, thanks for the food," Lorelai said.

"Oh, sure," Luke waved his hand nonchalantly; it was no big deal. "Did you eat it? Was it okay? I wasn't sure what Emily would like, so I tried to fix up something semi-edible in her eyes, you know?"

"I don't know," Lorelai shrugged, "we had a little… argument after you left, which resulted in me here. I'm sure if Emily won't eat it, Rory and Logan will enjoy it."

"Argument?" Luke echoed in confusion.

"Oh, yeah, it was uh…" Lorelai looked around the diner. A few patrons remained, trying their best not to appear intrigued with the conversation. She calmed herself, "It was nothing."

Luke stared at her warily. He turned to the people in the diner, tossing his towel on the counter. "Everyone out! We're closed!"

"Oh, no, Luke! You don't have to do that, really. It's nothing—" Lorelai's attempts were futile. The diner cleared in an instant. Luke switched the sign to "CLOSED" and shut the blinds. He returned to the counter, poured her a cup of coffee, gave her a donut, and stared at her. "Uh, thanks…" she said quietly.

Luke shrugged. "So, what happened?"

"Uh, well, I don't know exactly how to put this, but let's just say you can expect never to see Christopher around… possibly ever," Lorelai responded. There was a tinge of anger in her tone; hatred; resentment. She scoffed, "I can't believe I fell for it again. I thought I was going to get it all – finally. You know? The whole package?" she laughed, "Remember last time I came in here on a rant about that?"

"So, what happened?" he repeated. He tried not to let his eagerness to know what happened between them get the best of him. He steadied his emotions; watched her carefully.

"He sent April," she said, almost shaking. Luke stared at her in surprise. He could feel anger welling inside him.

"He what?" he demanded, voice slightly raised.

Lorelai nodded, "Yeah. He apparently met Anna and they talked and dated or whatever, and then he met April and realized that you are her father and he just—Wow." She stopped short, "Not only did he hurt _me _and _my _family and friends, but he hurt Anna and April, too!"

"He dated _Anna_?" Luke repeated, astonished.

"Apparently they met in Woodbridge. After Mom broke us up the first time, he followed me back to Stars Hollow when I was looking for you. I guess he never actually left back to Hartford. And he met Anna. And then you know, we got together and he called Sherry for help and they set up a wedding in Paris, but pretended like it was on a whim or something. I'm still not entirely sure what happened there. But he deceived me. And I am _never _talking to him again."

Lorelai had said that once before and Luke had refused to believe her, but this time he was sure she wasn't lying. The look in her eyes was pure and justified; filled with anger and hatred. He stared apprehensively. Was that why she was here? Why _was _she here, anyway? Just to rant to him?

"I'm sorry," Lorelai apologized – yeah, apologized. Who would have thought? "I don't think I ever apologized for what I did… that night with Christopher? I messed up. I never admitted that what I did was wrong. And it is, and you didn't deserve that. You don't deserve that."

"Uh," Luke stammered, "Thanks."

There was a lapse of silence between them. A satisfied Lorelai stared down at her cup of coffee and smiled to herself. She had set things right. Finally.

"You know, I'm sorry too," Luke said suddenly. Lorelai looked up at him inquiringly.

"Why?"

"I was crazy to think that to be with you, I had to set things straight with April first. That's not how it should have happened. Things don't just stop. Things change. And our relationship… I tried to put it on pause when April came into my life, and I only screwed it up. I think I was using April to push you away… I was afraid."

"Afraid?" Lorelai echoed in confusion, "Why?"

"I don't know," Luke sighed, "I don't know why I was afraid. I shouldn't have been."

"It's okay," Lorelai gave a small nod, "We both had our faults in the relationship."

"I'm glad." Luke managed a small smile. Lorelai stared at him strangely, "I—you know what I meant."

"Yeah," Lorelai laughed, "I got it."

"So, are you going back to the hospital?" Luke asked.

"Maybe later. I just needed something to clear my head. Preferably not from the hospital. Preferably brown and delicious. Preferably coffee. And the best place for all of the above is…" she waved her hands around, signaling to where she was.

He gave a short laugh. "Stay as long as you want."

"Thanks. I think I'll stay here another twenty years then."

"Just remember to take showers."

"Oh sure, don't want to scare away the customers," Lorelai nodded seriously. She smiled. He smiled back. It had been a while since they had exchanged like this. It was nice. "I never realized how much I missed this," she remarked, mostly to herself.

"You know, strangely, I missed it too," Luke said. "You'll be in tomorrow?"

"Is coffee my life?" Lorelai asked.

"Lock up when you're done," he told her, turning to head up to his apartment.

"Sure," Lorelai responded.

Luke paused. He glanced back at her for a moment, watching. She sipped her coffee quietly, eating her way slowly through the donut in front of her. She stared at nothing, appearing to be lost in thought. He thought for a moment, walked over to her table, turned over one of the chairs, and sat in it. She stared at him.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm not going to make you eat alone. That's just sad."

"Luke, go to bed," Lorelai laughed.

"Nope, not until you eat that donut," he pointed to it, "and finish your coffee."

There was a grin on her face, but she made no further protest.

"Hey Luke," Lorelai said suddenly, after a long lapse of silence.

"Yeah?" Luke asked, breaking from his blank stare to train his eyes on hers.

Lorelai reached towards him and pulled him towards her, placing her lips on his before he could utter any protest.

They both stood up; Lorelai's hands draped over his shoulders and his arms slithered around her waist, pulling her close against his frame. They were both making steps towards the stairs leading to his apartment; his steps backwards, hers hasty steps forward. It was a dance, but Lorelai was leading.

Luke pulled back for a moment. Lorelai stared at him curiously. He was wary. Hadn't she just ended her relationship with Chris? Wasn't this the one thing he had been offended by before? "Are you sure about this, Lorelai? You just—"

"I'm positive, Luke," Lorelai interrupted him, "We have lost time to regain."

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><p>Fin!<p>

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Review it anyway!

**- Puppet**


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